Methods and systems for providing a document

• US 8,015,019 B1
• Filed: 08/03/2004
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Adam Douglas, Zoufonoun, Amin
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette; Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US10/911,075
• Time in Patent Office: 2,590 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/1.1, 705/319
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a document are described. In one described method, a document comprising a portion selected by a first member of a social network is hosted for the first member. The portion is dynamically updated with content. An audience criterion for the portion and a type of relationship between the first member and a second member of the social network are identified. If the type of relationship between the first member and the second member satisfies the audience criterion, the second member is provided access to at least the portion.

Claims

1. A method performed on a computer comprising:

automatically identifying, by the computer, a portion of a document, the portion comprising dynamically updated content and selected by at least one of a plurality of members of a social network;

determining whether the portion may be of interest to at least a first member of the social network; and

if the portion may be of interest to at least the first member of a social network, providing at least the first member with access to a generated document comprising the portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing at least the first member with access to the generated document comprises providing the generated document to at least the first member.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing at least the first member with access to the generated document comprises selecting the portion for inclusion in the generated document.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising hosting the generated document for at least the first member.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the portion may be of interest to at least the first member comprises accessing profile data associated with at least the first member, and determining whether the portion may be of interest based, at least in part, on the profile data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the portion may be of interest to at least the first member comprises identifying a request from at least the first member to include the portion.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising communicating the portion to at least the first member and prompting at least the first member to indicate whether to include the portion in the generated document.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the portion of the document comprises identifying a type of relationship between at least the first member and at least a second member of the social network, wherein the document is associated with at least the second member, and, if the type of relationship satisfies a relationship criterion, further comprising selecting the portion from the document for inclusion in the generated document.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated document is accessible only to a plurality of members of the social network that meet an audience criterion.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the audience criterion is provided by at least the first member.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the audience criterion comprises at least one of a mutually agreed upon relationship, a relationship with a shared intermediary member of the social network;

a specified degree of separation, and a member category association.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the portion may be of interest to at least the first member comprises identifying a plurality of members of the social network with which the first member has a relationship, and determining a number of instances of the portion in a plurality of documents associated with the plurality of members.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the plurality of members comprises accessing profile data associated with the plurality of members, and further comprising selecting the portion based, at least in part, on the profile data.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a member category to which at least the first member belongs.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining whether the portion may be of interest to at least the first member based, at least in part, on the number of instances of the portion in a plurality of documents associated with a plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining whether the portion may be of interest to at least the first member comprises determining whether the portion may be of interest to a plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

accessing profile data associated with the plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category; and

determining whether the portion may be of interest to the plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category based, at least in part, on the profile data.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

identifying at least one request to include the portion from at least one of the plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category; and

determining whether the portion may be of interest to the plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category based, at least in part, on the at least one request.

19. A method performed on a computer comprising:

automatically identifying, by the computer, a portion of a document, the portion comprising dynamically updated content and selected by at least one of a plurality of members of a social network;

accessing profile data associated with a first member of the social network, and determining whether the portion may be of interest to the first member based, at least in part, on the profile data;

communicating the portion to the first member and prompting the first member to indicate whether to include the portion in a generated document;

identifying a request from at least the first member to include the portion;

selecting the portion for inclusion in the generated document;

hosting the generated document; and

providing the generated document to at least the first member.

20. A method performed on a computer comprising:

automatically identifying, by the computer, a document associated with a first member of a social network, the document comprising a portion that is dynamically updated with content;

identifying interest information for the first member; and

prompting attention of the first member to the portion based, at least in part, on the interest information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein identifying the interest information for the first member comprises accessing a member profile for the first member.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein identifying the interest information for the first member comprises accessing a plurality of member profiles associated with a plurality of social network members associated with the first member.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein identifying the interest information for the first member comprises identifying a plurality of portions that are dynamically updated with content on documents associated with a plurality of social network members associated with the first member.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising determining a rating for the portion based, at least in part, on the interest information, and providing a suggestion associated with the portion based, at least in part, on the rating.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein prompting attention to the portion comprises suggesting removal of the portion from the document.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising determining if a direction to remove the portion has been received from the first member, and, if the direction has been received, removing the portion from the document.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein prompting attention to the portion comprises automatically removing the portion from the document.

28. A method performed on a computer comprising:

automatically identifying, by the computer, a document associated with a first member of a social network, the document comprising a portion that is dynamically updated with content;

accessing a member profile for the first member;

identifying interest information for the first member based, at least in part, on the member profile;

identifying a plurality of portions that are dynamically updated with content on documents associated with a plurality of social network members associated with the first member;

determining a rating for the portion based, at least in part, on the interest information; and

providing a suggestion to remove the portion from the document based, at least in part, on the rating.

29. A computer-readable medium comprising program code to be used on a computer wherein the program code instructs one or more computer processors to:

identify a portion of a document, the portion comprising dynamically updated content and selected by at least one of a plurality of members of a social network;

determine whether the portion may be of interest to at least a first member of the social network; and

provide at least the first member with access to a generated document comprising the portion if the portion may be of interest to at least the first member of a social network.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to provide at least the first member with access to the generated document comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to provide the generated document to at least the first member.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to provide at least the first member with access to the generated document comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to select the portion for inclusion in the generated document.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to host the generated document for at least the first member.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to determine whether the portion may be of interest to at least the first member comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to access profile data associated with at least the first member and program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to determine whether the portion may be of interest based, at least in part, on the profile data.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to determine whether the portion may be of interest to at least the first member comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to identify a request from at least the first member to include the portion.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to communicate the portion to at least the first member and program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to prompt at least the first member to indicate whether to include the portion in the generated document.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to identify the portion of the document comprises-program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to identify a type of relationship between at least the first member and at least a second member of the social network, wherein the document is associated with at least the second member, and further comprising program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to select the portion from the document for inclusion in the generated document if the type of relationship satisfies a relationship criterion.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the generated document is accessible only to a plurality of members of the social network that meet an audience criterion.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the audience criterion is provided by at least the first member.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the audience criterion comprises at least one of a mutually-agreed upon relationship, a relationship with a shared intermediary member of the social network;

a specified degree of separation, and a member category association.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to determine whether the portion may be of interest to at least the first member comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to identify a plurality of members of the social network with which the first member has a relationship and program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to determine a number of instances of the portion in a plurality of documents associated with the plurality of members.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to identify the plurality of members comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to access profile data associated with the plurality of members and further comprising program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to select the portion based, at least in part, on the profile data.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to identify a member category to which at least the first member belongs.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, further comprising program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to determine whether the portion may be of interest to at least the first member based, at least in part, on a number of instances of the portion in a plurality of documents associated with a plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to determine whether the portion may be of interest to at least the first member comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to determine whether the portion may be of interest to a plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, further comprising program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to:

access profile data associated with the plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category; and

determine whether the portion may be of interest to the plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category based, at least in part, on the profile data.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, further comprising program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to:

identify at least one request to include the portion from at least one of the plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category; and

determine whether the portion may be of interest to the plurality of members of the social network belonging to the member category based, at least in part, on the at least one request.

47. A computer-readable medium comprising program code to be used on a computer wherein the program code instructs one or more computer processors to:

identify a document associated with a first member of a social network, the document comprising a portion that is dynamically updated with content;

identify interest information for the first member; and

prompt attention of the first member to the portion based, at least in part, on the interest information.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to identify the interest information for the first member comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to access a member profile for the first member.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to identify the interest information for the first member comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to access a plurality of member profiles associated with a plurality of social network members associated with the first member.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to identify the interest information for the first member comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to identify a plurality of portions that are dynamically updated with content on documents associated with a plurality of social network members associated with the first member.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 47, further comprising program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to determine a rating for the portion based, at least in part, on the interest information and program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to provide a suggestion associated with the portion based, at least in part, on the rating.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to prompt attention to the portion comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to suggest removal of the portion from the document.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, further comprising program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to determine if a direction to remove the portion has been received from the first member, and program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to remove the portion from the document if the direction has been received.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to prompt attention to the portion comprises program code that instructs the one or more computer processors to remove automatically the portion from the document.